JP2023131781A - Cleaning device - Google Patents

Abstract

To improve cleaning work efficiency.SOLUTION: A cleaning device 1 includes a cleaning fluid applicator for applying cleaning fluid CL onto a surface to be cleaned SC, a wiper 22 for wiping off attachments on the surface to be cleaned where the cleaning fluid CL is applied, and a housing 10 for supporting the cleaning fluid applicator and the wiper 22, in such a physical relationship that, when the cleaning fluid applicator is pressed onto the surface to be cleaned SC, the wiper 22 is also pressed onto the surface to be cleaned.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

The present invention relates to a cleaning device.

2. Description of the Related Art Cleaning devices for cleaning windows and the like are known. For example, Patent Document 1 describes a specific configuration of this type of cleaning device.

The cleaning device described in Patent Document 1 includes a suction nozzle and cleaning accessories (such as a brush). The operator operates the cleaning device to spray the cleaning liquid onto the surface to be cleaned, and causes the cleaning accessory to contain the cleaning liquid sprayed onto the surface to be cleaned, thereby cleaning the surface to be cleaned. After cleaning the surface to be cleaned with the cleaning accessory, the operator rotates the cleaning head 180 degrees to apply the suction nozzle to the surface to be cleaned, and collects the waste water on the surface to be cleaned into a tank in the cleaning device.

Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2016-55167

When using the cleaning device described in Patent Document 1, a worker must first perform a cleaning operation on the surface to be cleaned using a cleaning accessory, and after this cleaning operation, must perform an operation of wiping off dirty water using a suction nozzle. Therefore, it has been pointed out that the cleaning device described in Patent Document 1 has a problem of poor working efficiency.

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a cleaning device that can improve work efficiency.

A cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a cleaning liquid application body that applies cleaning liquid to a surface to be cleaned, a wiper that wipes off deposits on the surface to be cleaned to which the cleaning liquid has been applied, and a cleaning liquid application body that applies cleaning liquid to the surface to be cleaned. The cleaning liquid application body and the wiper are provided with a housing that supports the cleaning liquid application body and the wiper in a positional relationship such that when pressed, the wiper also presses against the surface to be cleaned.

Further, the cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a supply unit that supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid application body. In this case, the cleaning liquid applicator carries the cleaning liquid supplied by the supply unit, and when pressed against the surface to be cleaned, applies the carried cleaning liquid to the surface to be cleaned.

The above-mentioned supply section may be configured to include a storage section that stores the cleaning liquid, a pressure feeding section that pumps the cleaning liquid in the storage section, and a discharge section that discharges the cleaning liquid force-fed by the pressure feeding section toward the cleaning liquid application body. good.

Further, the cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a recovery unit that recovers the cleaning liquid contained in the deposits on the surface to be cleaned into the storage unit.

The above-described recovery section may include a suction port that draws in the deposits wiped off by the wiper, a fluid path that connects the suction port and the storage section, and a filter installed in the fluid path. According to this configuration, the deposits drawn into the intake port flow through the fluid path and are filtered by the filter, and the cleaning liquid separated from the deposits is collected into the storage section.

The collection unit may further include a suction drive unit that sucks the deposits wiped off by the wiper from the intake port toward the storage unit.

In addition, the cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a guard part that receives the cleaning liquid scattered from the cleaning liquid application body, and a groove part formed in the guard part, which accommodates the cleaning liquid scattered and attached from the cleaning liquid application body. The structure may further include a groove portion leading into the portion.

The cleaning liquid application body may be rotatably supported by the housing. In this case, the cleaning device may further include a rotation drive unit that rotates the cleaning liquid applicator pressed against the surface to be cleaned on the surface to be cleaned.

The cleaning liquid applicator includes, for example, a brush member, a cloth-like member, or a sponge-like elastic member that is pressed against the surface to be cleaned.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a cleaning device that can improve work efficiency is provided.

1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. 1 is a diagram showing in detail the configuration of a cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a side view showing the composition of the pump with which the cleaning device concerning one embodiment of the present invention was equipped. FIG. 1 is a top view showing the configuration of a pump according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a side view showing the configuration of a pump according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 1 is a top view showing the configuration of a pump according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a top view showing the internal structure of the cleaning device concerning one embodiment of the present invention.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS A cleaning device according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the configuration of a cleaning device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. A worker can use the cleaning device 1 to clean the surface to be cleaned SC with high work efficiency. The surface to be cleaned SC is, for example, a plane, such as a window, tile, wall, or floor.

As shown in FIG. 1, the cleaning device 1 includes a housing 10 that supports each part. The housing 10 is made of resin, for example. The housing 10 supports a tank 12 , a pump 14 , an injection nozzle 16 , a rotating brush 18 , a brush drive section 20 , a wiper 22 , a suction nozzle 24 , a sewage recovery path 26 , a filter 28 , a suction drive section 30 , and a battery 32 .

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the configuration of the cleaning device 1 in detail. 3A and 3B and FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams showing the configuration of the pump 14. FIG. 5 is a diagram of the internal structure of the cleaning device 1 viewed from above, mainly showing the configuration of the wastewater recovery channel 26. As shown in FIG.

A worker uses the cleaning device 1 in the posture shown in FIG. 1, for example. Specifically, the operator holds the cleaning device 1 in a position where the wiper 22 is positioned above the rotating brush 18, presses the rotating brush 18 impregnated with the cleaning liquid CL against the surface to be cleaned SC, and simultaneously moves the wiper 22. While pressing against the surface to be cleaned SC, the cleaning device 1 is pulled down along the surface to be cleaned SC (see arrow A in FIG. 1).

The housing 10 supports the rotating brush 18 and the wiper 22 in such a positional relationship that when the rotating brush 18 presses against the surface to be cleaned SC, the wiper 22 also presses against the surface to be cleaned SC. Therefore, the operator can press both the rotating brush 18 and the wiper 22 against the cleaning target surface SC at once.

When the operator pulls the cleaning device 1 downward along the cleaning target surface SC while pressing the rotating brush 18 and wiper 22 against the cleaning target surface SC, the cleaning liquid CL is applied to the cleaning target surface SC by the rotating brush 18, and this The floating dirt is rubbed by the rotating brush 18, and the deposits remaining on the surface SC to be cleaned (specifically, the dirty water SW in which dirt is mixed with the cleaning liquid CL) are wiped off by the wiper 22.

In the cleaning device 1, the rotary brush 18 removes dirt and the wiper 22 wipes off dirty water all at once. Therefore, the operator can clean the cleaning target surface SC with high work efficiency.

Note that the surface to be cleaned SC can be cleaned by a simple movement such as pulling the cleaning device 1 downward along the surface to be cleaned SC. Therefore, for example, the cleaning device 1 may be attached to a robot arm to perform cleaning work. In this case, the robot arm automatically moves the cleaning device 1 vertically along the cleaning target surface SC. Therefore, the burden on the worker is reduced.

The operator can perform cleaning work while holding the cleaning device 1 with the grip portion 10A formed on the housing 10. A battery 32 is removably housed inside the grip portion 10A. The operator can charge the battery 32 removed from the grip part 10A using a charger (not shown), and can also attach the charged battery 32 into the grip part 10A.

The battery 32 is a power supply source for the brush drive unit 20 and the suction drive unit 30. When the hand switch 10B provided on the grip section 10A is turned on, power is supplied to the brush drive section 20 and the suction drive section 30. When the hand switch 10B is turned off, power supply to the brush drive section 20 and suction drive section 30 is cut off.

The tank 12 is an example of a storage section that stores the cleaning liquid CL. The cleaning liquid CL is, for example, a cleaning liquid for surfaces to be cleaned (for example, windows), water, or a mixture of detergent and water.

The tank 12 is removable from the housing 10. The operator can clean the tank 12 removed from the housing 10 and replenish the tank 12 with the cleaning liquid CL.

The pump 14 is an example of a pumping unit that pumps the cleaning liquid CL in the tank 12. In this embodiment, the pump 14 is a hand pump that sucks up and pushes out the cleaning liquid CL in the tank 12 by manual operation by an operator. In another embodiment, the pump 14 may be an electric pump that sucks up and pushes out the cleaning liquid CL in the tank 12 using an electric motor.

Pump 14 includes a lever 14A, a spring 14B, a plunger 14C, a staging 14D, and a cover 14E. The lever 14A has one end connected to the spring 14B and the other end connected to the plunger 14C. One end of the spring 14B is connected to the lever 14A, and the other end is connected to the grip portion 10A.

3A and 3B show the state of the pump 14 when the lever 14A is not pulled (in other words, when the spring 14B is at its natural length). 4A and 4B show the state of the pump 14 when the lever 14A is pulled by the operator. 3A and 4A are side views of the inside of the staging 14D. 3B and 4B are views of the interior of the staging 14D viewed from above. 3B and 4B, illustration of the lever 14A and the spring 14B among the components of the pump 14 is omitted.

A water supply port 14Da and a drain port 14Db are formed on the bottom and top surfaces of the staging 14D, respectively. The cover 14E is integrally fixed to the plunger 14C. An opening 14Ea is formed in the cover 14E.

The cleaning liquid CL in the tank 12 is filled into the staging 14D via the water supply port 14Da. The cleaning liquid CL filled in the staging 14D is discharged to the injection nozzle 16 through the drain port 14Db and the opening 14Ea.

When the operator pulls the lever 14A, the plunger 14C connected to the lever 14A slides inside the staging 14D in the direction of arrow B (see FIGS. 4A and 4B), blocks the water supply port 14Da, and is integrated with the plunger 14C. The opening 14Ea of the cover 14E that has moved and the drain port 14Db of the staging 14D communicate with each other. The staging 14D and the hose 34 communicate with each other by communicating with the drain port 14Db and the opening 14Ea.

The hose 34 has one end connected to the staging 14D via the drain port 14Db and the opening 14Ea, and the other end connected to the injection nozzle 16.

When the operator releases his finger from the lever 14A, the plunger 14C slides within the staging 14D in the direction of arrow C (see FIGS. 3A and 3B) in conjunction with the spring 14B returning to its natural length, and retreats from the water supply port 14Da. Moreover, the cover 14E that moves integrally with the plunger 14C closes the drain port 14Db. When the plunger 14C retreats from the water supply port 14Da, the staging 14D and the hose 36 communicate with each other.

One end of the hose 36 is connected to the staging 14D via the water supply port 14Da, and the other end is disposed within the tank 12.

When the operator releases his finger from the lever 14A and the plunger 14C is slid in the direction of arrow C, the air pressure inside the staging 14D decreases. As a result, the cleaning liquid CL in the tank 12 is sucked up and filled into the staging 14D via the hose 36 and the water supply port 14Da (see arrow D in FIG. 3A).

When the plunger 14C is slid in the direction of arrow B by the operator pulling the lever 14A, the cleaning liquid CL in the staging 14D is force-fed to the injection nozzle 16 via the drain port 14Db, the opening 14Ea, and the hose 34 (FIG. 4A). (See arrow E).

The spray nozzle 16 is an example of a discharge section that sprays (discharges) the cleaning liquid CL pumped by the pump 14 toward the rotating brush 18 . For example, a plurality of spray nozzles 16 are arranged at predetermined intervals in the direction of the rotation axis AX of the rotating brush 18 (a direction perpendicular to the plane of FIG. 2 and parallel to the surface to be cleaned SC).

In this way, the tank 12, the pump 14, and the injection nozzle 16 function as a supply unit that supplies the cleaning liquid CL to the rotating brush 18.

The rotating brush 18 is an example of a cleaning liquid applicator that applies the cleaning liquid CL to the cleaning target surface SC, and is rotatably supported by the housing 10. The rotating brush 18 includes a brush member 18A that is pressed against the cleaning target surface SC. The brush member 18A carries the cleaning liquid CL sprayed from the spray nozzle 16.

The cleaning liquid CL is injected onto the brush member 18A from each of the plurality of injection nozzles 16 arranged in the direction of the rotation axis AX. Therefore, the rotating brush 18 is in a wet state in which it evenly carries the cleaning liquid CL over its entire length.

When pressed against the cleaning target surface SC, the brush member 18A applies the carried cleaning liquid CL to the cleaning target surface SC. The brush member 18A is made of, for example, vegetable, animal, metal, synthetic fiber, or other hair material.

The rotating brush 18 is supported by the housing 10 so as to be replaceable. Here, the functions required of the rotating brush 18 vary depending on the material of the surface SC to be cleaned (for example, the material of windows, tiles, walls, floors, etc.). The operator can replace the rotary brush 18 with a cleaning member that is most suitable for the material of the surface SC to be cleaned. Examples of cleaning members other than the brush member 18A include cloth-like members and sponge-like elastic members.

Brush drive unit 20 includes a rotary motor 20A and a transmission member 20B. The transmission member 20B is, for example, a chain that transmits the driving force of the rotary motor 20A to the shaft 18B of the rotary brush 18.

When the hand switch 10B is turned on, the rotary motor 20A rotates and its driving force is transmitted to the shaft 18B via the transmission member 20B. As a result, the rotating brush 18 rotates around the rotation axis AX (with the shaft 18B as the rotation axis).

When a driving force is transmitted to the rotating brush 18 while being pressed against the cleaning target surface SC, the rotating brush 18 rotates on the cleaning target surface SC so as to rub the cleaning target surface SC. That is, the brush drive unit 20 is an example of a rotation drive unit that rotates the rotating brush 18 pressed against the cleaning target surface SC on the cleaning target surface SC.

The dirt lifted by applying the cleaning liquid CL is rubbed by the rotating brush 18. Therefore, for example, not only dust stains caused by sand and pollen, which are relatively easy to remove, but also solid substances such as bird droppings, oil stains stained over a long period of time, etc. can be removed from the cleaning target surface SC.

The wiper 22 wipes off the dirty water SW, which is the deposit remaining on the surface to be cleaned SC to which the cleaning liquid CL has been applied, from the surface to be cleaned SC.

More specifically, the wiper 22 includes a pair of wiper rubbers 22A and 22B. The wiper rubber 22A provided on the upper side has higher flexibility (lower elastic modulus) than the wiper rubber 22B provided on the lower side, and is easily deformed when pressed against the surface to be cleaned SC. The wiper rubber 22A, which has a high ability to closely follow the cleaning target surface SC, which is the wiping surface, wipes off the dirty water SW, and the relatively hard wiper rubber 22B, which has low flexibility, receives the dirty water SW wiped off by the wiper rubber 22A, and then moves it to the suction nozzle. Lead to 24.

The wiper 22 is supported by the housing 10 so as to be replaceable. Therefore, the operator can replace the deteriorated wiper 22 with a new wiper 22.

Further, the operator can also change the wiper 22 to a different size wiper depending on the area in which the dirty water SW is to be wiped off. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the wiper 22 has a length comparable to the width of the housing 10. By replacing the wiper 22 with a wiper 22 that is longer than the width of the casing 10, the operator can wipe off a wider range of wastewater SW at once.

The suction nozzle 24 is formed at the tip of the housing 10 and sucks the dirty water SW wiped off by the wiper 22. As described above, the suction nozzle 24 is an example of an inlet that draws in the dirty water SW wiped off by the wiper 22.

As shown in FIG. 5, the suction nozzle 24 has a width comparable to that of the housing 10. Further, the wiper rubber 22A is attached to the upper side of the suction nozzle 24, and the wiper rubber 22B is attached to the lower side of the suction nozzle 24. Therefore, most of the dirty water SW wiped off by the wiper rubber 22A and received by the wiper rubber 22B is sucked into the suction nozzle 24.

The wastewater recovery path 26 is an example of a fluid path that connects the suction nozzle 24 and the tank 12. In FIGS. 2 and 5, the sewage recovery channel 26 is hatched for convenience. As shown in FIG. 2, the sewage recovery channel 26 is formed inside the casing 10 along the top and side surfaces of the casing 10. Moreover, as shown in FIG. 5, the wastewater recovery channel 26 is formed so that the width thereof gradually becomes narrower.

A filter 28 is installed in the middle of the sewage recovery channel 26 whose width is narrowed. The filter 28 removes filth contained in the waste water SW. That is, the sewage SW sucked into the suction nozzle 24 flows through the sewage recovery path 26 and is filtered by the filter 28 . The cleaning liquid CL separated from the waste water SW by filtration by the filter 28 is collected into the tank 12.

The filter 28 is removable from the housing 10. The operator can clean the filter 28 removed from the housing 10 and reinstall it, or replace it with a new filter 28.

The suction drive section 30 includes a suction motor 30A and a suction fan 30B. When the hand switch 10B is turned on, the suction motor 30A is driven, and the suction fan 30B supported by the shaft 30Aa of the suction motor 30A rotates. This generates an air flow that draws air from the suction nozzle 24 into the tank 12. Therefore, the dirty water SW wiped off by the wiper 22 is sucked into the dirty water recovery path 26 from the suction nozzle 24, is filtered by the filter 28, becomes the cleaning liquid CL, and is collected into the tank 12.

In this way, the suction drive unit 30 suctions the dirty water SW wiped off by the wiper 22 from the suction nozzle 24 toward the tank 12 .

Further, the suction nozzle 24, the sewage recovery path 26, the filter 28, and the suction drive unit 30 constitute a recovery unit that recovers the cleaning liquid CL contained in the sewage SW remaining on the cleaning target surface SC into the tank 12. In the cleaning device 1, the cleaning liquid CL used for cleaning the cleaning target surface SC can be recovered and reused by the recovery section. Therefore, the amount of cleaning liquid CL used can be kept small.

For example, if the cleaning liquid CL runs out while cleaning windows on the upper floors of a building, the gondola in which the worker rides must be lowered to the ground and the cleaning liquid CL must be replenished. In the cleaning device 1 according to the present embodiment, the amount of cleaning liquid CL required for cleaning is small, so that cleaning liquid CL is difficult to run out. Therefore, for example, window cleaning of a building can be completed without lowering the gondola to the ground to replenish the cleaning liquid CL.

Furthermore, in the cleaning device 1, the amount of wastewater SW discharged to the outside of the cleaning device 1 is reduced by collecting and reusing the cleaning liquid CL. Therefore, the work burden of sewage disposal is reduced.

The housing 10 includes a wall portion 10E that covers above and behind the rotating brush 18. Note that "the rear of the rotating brush 18" herein refers to a position facing the cleaning target surface SC with the rotating brush 18 in between when the rotating brush 18 is pressed against the cleaning target surface SC.

The wall portion 10E receives the cleaning liquid CL scattered from the rotating brush 18. This prevents the cleaning liquid CL from scattering around.

In this way, the wall portion 10E is an example of a guard portion that receives the cleaning liquid CL scattered from the rotating brush 18.

A U-shaped groove 10F is formed on the surface of the wall portion 10E. In FIG. 2, the U-shaped groove 10F is hatched for convenience. The U-shaped groove 10F is formed to extend from the upper end to the lower end of the wall portion 10E. For example, a plurality of U-shaped grooves 10F are formed at predetermined intervals in the direction of the rotation axis AX.

The cleaning liquid CL scattered from the rotating brush 18 and attached to the U-shaped groove 10F flows downward within the U-shaped groove 10F. A receiving port 10G is provided at the lower end of the U-shaped groove 10F to receive the cleaning liquid CL flowing down inside the U-shaped groove 10F.

The socket 10G communicates with the tank 12. Therefore, the cleaning liquid CL received at the socket 10G is dripped into the tank 12.

As described above, the U-shaped groove 10F is an example of a groove formed in the wall portion 10E, and is an example of a groove for guiding the cleaning liquid CL scattered and attached from the rotating brush 18 into the tank 12, and also for guiding the cleaning liquid CL to the tank 12. The tank 12 forms a collection section for collecting the water.

The grip portion 10A is provided with a hand switch 10C. Each time the operator presses the hand switch 10C, the rotation direction of the rotating brush 18 is switched between clockwise and counterclockwise.

When the rotating brush 18 is rotated clockwise, the moving direction (the direction of arrow A in FIG. 1) of the rotating brush 18 with respect to the cleaning target surface SC is aligned with the rotating direction, so that the force with which the rotating brush 18 rubs the cleaning target surface SC is increased. becomes stronger. Therefore, the cleaning ability is improved.

When the rotating brush 18 is rotated counterclockwise, the dirty water SW adhering to the surface to be cleaned SC is likely to scatter above the rotating brush 18 (in other words, toward the suction nozzle 24 side). Therefore, the recovery rate of the cleaning liquid CL is improved.

The grip portion 10A is provided with an operation knob 10D. The rotational speed of the rotating brush 18 changes depending on the amount of operation of the operating knob 10D by the operator. When the rotational speed of the rotating brush 18 increases, for example, the cleaning ability improves. When the rotational speed of the rotating brush 18 decreases, the power consumption of the rotating motor 20A, for example, decreases.

The above is a description of exemplary embodiments of the invention. The embodiments of the present invention are not limited to those described above, and various modifications can be made within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention. For example, the embodiments of the present invention also include appropriate combinations of embodiments explicitly shown in the specification or obvious embodiments.

1: Cleaning device 10: Housing 10A: Gripping parts 10B, 10C: Hand switch 10D: Operation knob 10E: Wall part 10F: U-shaped groove 10G: Socket 12: Tank 14: Pump 14A: Lever 14B: Spring 14C: Plunger 14D : Staging 14Da : Water supply port 14Db : Drain port 14E : Cover 14Ea : Opening 16 : Injection nozzle 18 : Rotating brush 18A : Brush member 18B : Shaft 20 : Brush drive part 20A : Rotating motor 20B : Transmission member 22 : Wiper 22A, 22B : Wiper rubber 24 : Suction nozzle 26 : Sewage recovery path 28 : Filter 30 : Suction drive unit 30A : Suction motor 30Aa : Shaft 30B : Suction fan 32 : Battery 34, 36 : Hose

Claims (9)

a cleaning liquid application body that applies cleaning liquid to the surface to be cleaned;
a wiper for wiping off deposits on the surface to be cleaned to which the cleaning liquid has been applied;
a housing that supports the cleaning liquid application body and the wiper in a positional relationship such that when the cleaning liquid application body presses against the cleaning target surface, the wiper also presses against the cleaning target surface;
Cleaning equipment. further comprising a supply unit that supplies the cleaning liquid to the cleaning liquid application body,
The cleaning liquid application body carries the cleaning liquid supplied by the supply unit, and when pressed against the surface to be cleaned, applies the carried cleaning liquid to the surface to be cleaned.
The cleaning device according to claim 1. The supply unit includes:
a storage section that stores the cleaning liquid;
a pressure-feeding unit that force-feeds the cleaning liquid in the storage unit;
a discharge section that discharges the cleaning liquid force-fed by the pressure-feeding section toward the cleaning liquid application body;
The cleaning device according to claim 2. further comprising a collection unit that collects cleaning liquid contained in deposits on the surface to be cleaned into the storage unit;
The cleaning device according to claim 3. The collection section is
an inlet for drawing in the deposits wiped off by the wiper;
a fluid path connecting the intake port and the housing part;
a filter installed in the fluid path,
The deposits drawn into the intake port flow through the fluid path and are filtered by the filter, and the cleaning liquid separated from the deposits is collected into the storage section.
The cleaning device according to claim 4. The recovery unit further includes a suction drive unit that sucks the deposits wiped off by the wiper from the intake port toward the storage unit.
The cleaning device according to claim 5. a guard portion that receives the cleaning liquid scattered from the cleaning liquid application body;
further comprising a groove formed in the guard part, the groove part guiding the cleaning liquid scattered and attached from the cleaning liquid application body into the storage part;
The cleaning device according to any one of claims 4 to 6. The cleaning liquid application body is rotatably supported by the housing,
The cleaning device further includes a rotation drive unit that rotates the cleaning liquid applicator pressed against the cleaning target surface on the cleaning target surface.
A cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 7. The cleaning liquid application body includes a brush member, a cloth-like member, or a sponge-like elastic member that is pressed against the surface to be cleaned.
A cleaning device according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

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